


Don't Let Go

by buckyscrystalqueen



Series: Don't Let Go [1]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 08:25:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16869541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckyscrystalqueen/pseuds/buckyscrystalqueen





	1. Chapter 1

~~~~~~ ITALY, 1943 ~~~~~~

“Well, well… what ails you today, Sargent?” You asked with a smile as the handsome Sargent James Barnes strolled into the med tent. He gave you an award winning smile and sat down on one of the tables.

“Nurse, this cut. I just can’t seem to get it to heal.” You couldn’t help but giggle as you held out your hand for his left hand. You pulled the muddy gauze off the self inflicted cut on his left arm and looked at it with a sigh.

“If you keep purposely getting dirt in this, it’s going to get too infected for me to heal.” You said softly so that only he would hear you.

“How else am I supposed to come see my girl?” He wrapped his fingers around your arm and you looked up at him with a smart smile.

“Oh, I’m sure you would find a way.” You teased. You smiled at him as you took a step back to get something to clean his arm off. “Let’s see, first it was the finger. Then the toothache, the ankle, the headaches…” you whispered so he wouldn’t get in trouble as you cleaned out the cut. “If I didn’t know any better I would think you were sweet on me.” He chuckled as you smiled up at him.

“I am sweet on you. You’re my girl.” You blushed as you took your time patching him up like usual.

“I think you say that to all the nurses here.” You teased. He wrapped his hand around your wrist and pulled your hand away from his cut so you would look at him. He gave you a slight shake of his head.

“Only you, doll.” You smiled as he gave you a sweet, gentle kiss but all too quickly, he pulled away. “I’m serious, (Y/N). It will always be only you.” You nodded as he rested his forehead against yours.

“I know, sweetheart.” You reached up and gently brushed your thumb across his cheek for a moment before pulling away to finish patching up his arm. “But you gotta let this heal, James. Promise me.” He nodded as you grabbed fresh gauze and looked up at him.

“I promise. I’ll just find another way to come see you.” You smiled as you wrapped his arm up.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that in the least bit.” You joked as you grabbed the tape from the table. “Your shoulder looks like it’s bothering you a little bit.” He quietly huffed a laugh as you rolled the sleeve of his shirt down over his fresh bandage.

“You’re the best nurse in town, doll.” You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as he stood up. “Sweet dreams, baby doll.” He bent down and gave you a chaste kiss as he squeezed your hand in his.

“Good night, Bucky.”

——

The sound of gun fire, screams and grenades going off entirely too close to you woke you and the rest of the medical staff in the middle of the night. It took only a moment before your training kicked in. You lurched off your cot and grabbed your military issue uniform; slipping it on and buttoning it up as fast as you could as you stepped into your sneakers.

“I need everyone on the floor!” The doctor shouted into your bunk as you and the other nurses scrambled to get out to help where you could. Your cot was one of the last ones in the room so you were the last woman out. 

Everything seemed to go in slow motion as you ran. This wasn’t supposed to happen in your proverbial back yard; you were nowhere near the front line. You tried not to worry about Bucky as you ducked down and headed toward your station after the rest of the girls but you kept glancing around as you dodged soldiers running in all directions. You blocked out their screams of panic, the explosions and the other woman’s terrified cries as the med tent came into view.

“(Y/N)!” Your head whipped in the direction of James’ voice as he ran over to you. “We need to leave, now. This isn’t the Germans.” Your brow furrowed as your head whipped back and forth between him, the battle and your job.

“Bucky, we can’t just leave…” A grenade went off a few hundred feet away from you and you couldn’t help but scream. Bucky grabbed your arm and spun you around.

“Trust me, please (Y/N)!” He shouted as the two of you ran toward the officer barracks.

“James…” Your words were lost as a tank rolled in out of nowhere and plowed the tent to the ground. You saw a blast of bluish white light that annihilated a group of trees and people instantly.

“Holy shit.” You and Bucky said at the same time. He frantically grabbed your arm and shoved you to your right to get you away from the battle as the med tent exploded behind you. Neither of you thought about the consequences of your actions until you came face to face with a line of enemy soldiers. You heard one of them shout something in German and Bucky yanked you to his side.

“No!” He screamed as the group of men stormed over and grabbed you. You screamed as you fought desperately to hold on to Bucky. Time seemed to stand still as you were ripped from the arms of the man you had fallen in love with. Your fought your heart out to get back to him as the dragged you in separate directions. “Doll, I love you!”

~~~~~~~~ WASHINGTON D.C., PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~

You stood next to Steve with tears in your eyes and a large lump in your throat. You gently touched the paused CCTV footage from the day before on the monitor at the SHIELD Dam facility. While his hair was a little longer and his blue eyes told a totally different tale than they used to, it was absolutely the love of your life.

“James.” You whispered as you brushed your fingertips across his lips, wishing so desperately that he was really in front of you.

“He’s not the same man, (Y/N).” Steve said softly as he put his hand on your shoulder. You shook your head as your tears fell silently.

“He’s will always be my Bucky.”

~~~~~~ ITALY 1943 ~~~~~~~

“Doll?” You weakly rolled your head over to look at the man next to you in the darkened room; cringing from the pain that riddled your body. You looked into Bucky’s tear filled eyes as he slowly and gently shook his head. “I’m so sorry, baby girl.” You shook your head gingerly.

“It’s not your fault.” You said weakly as your own tears began to fall. “Sweetheart, don’t ever think this is your fault.” He shook his head and stretched his fingers toward yours as much as the restraints would allow him. You wrapped your thin middle finger around his pinkie; desperately wishing you could be in the safety of his arms. 

“Tell me…” You gasped as you struggled to catch your breath under the thick restraint that squeezed your chest. “Tell me more about Brooklyn.” He nodded as he held your finger tight. 

“Have I told you about the fair?” You shook your head gently as you held onto his finger for dear life. He gave you a short nod and licked his dry lips. “It's huge. There are lights everywhere you look in every color you can think of…” You nodded as he described his home town in as much detail as he could. It had become a nightly thing since the two of you had been captured. 

For whatever reason, the two of you had become the guinea pigs to this group of sadists. Neither of you knew what they were testing but what you were both aware of was how much whatever they were doing made the other person scream. You also learned within the first day that if you fought back, they would dole out your punishment on the person you loved instead. It took you both only a few hours to completely comply to their broken English demands.

Everyday, the room you were in was filled with Bucky and your screams and tears. You both knew better than to beg for it to be over as neither of you wanted to bring the other more unnecessary pain. Hours blended together as they poked, prodded and injected a blue liquid into you both. Each day, you thought the pain couldn’t get worse but it always seem to.

The night was yours, however. When the sun went down, the men left the two of you just barely out of each others reach. For the first few nights, both of you were too terrified to do anything more than stare at each other until restless sleep found one or both of you. But then Bucky started pushing the limits. Whispered promises and soft I love you’s broke the silence for a couple night. 

When nothing happened those next mornings, you tried small conversations. You both shared short stories and little did bits of non-personal information; testing the waters to see what your captors would allow. When you realized they must not care, Bucky did everything he could to distract you from the pain he thought he caused you.

“I promise you, I’ll take you on that ferris wheel one day, (Y/N). If it’s the last thing I do.” You nodded and squeezed his finger, knowing he meant that with all of his heart. You had forced yourself long ago to remain hopeful for the both of you; knowing your strength was helping keep him alive as well.

“Can we get some of that cotton candy stuff? I’ve never had it before.” He nodded as both your tears silently fell on the metal carts below you.

“Of course, doll. Anything my girl wants.” You gave him the strongest smile you could muster. “How about you get some sleep? They went pretty hard on you today.” You nodded in agreement as you shifted your grip on his pinkie.

“Don’t let go." You reminded him like you did every night. He shook his head as he gripped your finger as tight as he could with his own.

“Never.”

~~~~~~~~ WASHINGTON D.C., PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~

“Steve, you have to let me come with you.” You said as he, Natasha and Sam got ready with the remaining trust worthy members of SHIELD to stop some Hellicarriers HYDRA had commandeered from killing innocent people they felt were a threat. “He’ll listen…”

“He’s not the same man anymore, (Y/N).” Sam said for the hundredth time that day. You glared at him and growled.

“You don’t know him like I do!” You snapped as you followed the group to the jet.

“You don’t know this man either! He’s a murderer now.” Sam shouted back. You grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off the ground and slammed him into the wall.

“And you don’t know me so watch your mouth.” You released your grasp and let him fall to the ground as you rounded on Steve. “Steve, it’s Bucky. Our Bucky. Brainwashed or not, you saw him recognize you. You know he’s still in there…”

“It’s just too risky.” You rolled your eyes and shook your head.

“That’s not the issue at all because I have the same strength he does. You’re just not going into this as a recovery mission.” With tears in your eyes, you headed back into the dam to figure out your own way to rescue the other half of your heart.

~~~~~~ ITALY 1943 ~~~~~~~

“Bring the girl.” The Swiss doctor shouted over the sounds of gun fire and explosions. “She shows more promise.”

“No! No! Take me, please!” Bucky pleaded weakly as two men came over and unstrapped you from the table. Your half conscious body was heaved onto one of their shoulders as you fought as hard as your weakened body would allow.

“James… I love you.” You called out as you were carted from the room. You reached out and brushed your fingers across his lips as you were carried past him.

“I will find you.” He cried as he tried, unsuccessfully to pull himself out of his restraints. You nodded as you kept your tear filled eyes on him as long as possible. “I love you.”

 

~~~~~~~~ DANISH STRAIGHTS, 1944 ~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Come now, girl! Do it!” Zola screamed at you over the speakers. Your stomach turned as tears poured down your cheeks. “Do it or I will remove him from…”

“OK!” You shouted. You unwillingly reached down and grabbed the man you were being told to kill’s head as you stood behind him. “I’m sorry.” You whispered as you squeezed your eyes closed. You growled as you relieved the man off his head; sending blood gushing into the air and down your body. You didn’t want to be a killer for HYDRA, but the other option they threatened you with was losing your memory of James permanently. You heard a door open as you tossed the skull into the corner but you didn’t look up.

“You fight it again, girl and I’ll wipe him from that empty head of yours. Everything is ready now. I’ve no time for your childishness.” Zola said as he flicked your forehead. “Go away.” He said as he flicked his wrist at you dismissively. You turned on the spot and headed out of the room as you wiped the blood off your face. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you walked through the castle to your chambers.

As you turned down the hall, you came face to face with a man wearing a red, white and blue suit, a helmet with a giant ‘A’ on the front of it and a large shield in his hand. You froze as the two of you looked at each other and his eyes went wide.

“(Y/N)?” Your stomach dropped as you looked back over your shoulder to make sure you were alone.

“Who are you?” You hissed as you pushed him into a room. “Please tell me you can help me.”

“Are you Bucky’s (Y/N)?” He asked softly. Tears filled your eyes as you nodded frantically.

“Please, please get me out of here.” He nodded as he glanced back down the hall he had come from.

“Listen to me. Go to the end of this hall to that big picture window. There is a rope that is dangling from the roof. Climb up if you can and my men will get you out of here.” You nodded as you squeezed his arm in gratitude.

“James?” Steve shook his head.

“He’s not here but I will take you to him, I promise. Go.” You nodded and ran as fast as you could down the hall to the window. You heard shouts and gun fire behind you as you climbed out the window. You scrambled up the rope as quickly as you could, as a hope you had long sense lost filled your heart. As you climbed over the top of the wall, you froze as you came face to face with four men. You took a hesitant step back.

“The man… he told me you could help me. I’m Bucky’s (Y/N).” The man who was closest to you nodded as he quickly shrugged off his jacket.

“Here, take this so you don’t freeze.” You nodded in thanks as you stretched your arm out and took his jacket. You kept your eyes on all four of them as you shrugged it on and waited for further instructions. No one said a word.

“You guys just gunna make her stand here all night?” The masked man said as he climbed back over the wall a few minutes later. “Because if we want to have a bonfire, we have about a minute.” The men scrambled into action as the masked man gestured you forward.

“Think you can hang on to this?” He asked as he showed you the handle of a zip line. You nodded as you pulled up the sleeves of the borrowed jacket. He gave you a quick nod and set the handle up for you as two of the men zipped down the line ahead of you. 

You took a short running start like the men before you did and jumped over the wall of the castle. You kept your knees semi-tucked as you sped toward a boat that was off shore of the island you were on. The wind bit at your skin and brought tears to your eyes. You stretched your legs out to slow yourself down as you reached the end of the line and came to a graceful stop in the boat. You moved out of the way for the last three men and when the masked man’s feet hit the deck, the castle exploded.

“I’m Steve.” The masked man said as he pulled off his helmet. “Bucky and I go way back.” Your brow furrowed as you sat down on a barrel he gestured to.

“Steve, as in Brooklyn Steve? Kid who couldn’t walk away from a fight?” Steve chuckled and nodded.

“He would tell you that story.” You gave him a weak smile as you pulled the jacket sleeves over your hands. You looked down at the cuffs and bit your lip.

“Is he OK?” You asked softly as the boat sped away from the towering inferno.

“He hasn’t stopped looking for you.”

~~~~~~~~ WASHINGTON D.C., PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~

You made it to the Triskelion on the stolen bike just as the three Hellicarriers blew each other up. You slid to a stop as your heart seized in your chest. You wanted so badly to look away but just like watching a car crash, you couldn’t bring yourself to look away. 

“No, James…” You whined as tears fell down your cheeks. You watched one of the carriers careen into a building and something caught your eye. You were close enough to the wreckage that you could see Steve fall from one of the ships and land in the water. You gasped and went to shift your bike into gear when someone jumped into the river after him. 

Everything ceased to exist when you saw him.

~~~~~~~~ Denmark, 1944 ~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey Buck!” Steve shouted as he headed onto the ground base with you directly behind him. “Brought you a present.” He stepped to the side as Bucky turned around at the dinner table. Tears instantly filled his eyes as he scrambled to get up from the table.

“James…” You sighed as he wrapped his arms around you and lifted you off the ground. You wrapped your arms around his neck and clung to him.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He said as he tangled his hands in your hair. You shook your head as his knees gave out and he sunk to the ground.

“Don’t let go.” You whispered as you buried your face in his neck. He shook his head as his tears fell on your shoulder.

“Never again, doll.”

—— 

You laid on Bucky’s chest on his cot; neither of you caring about the Army’s rules and regulations. He held your hand tight to his chest above his heart as he processed everything that had happened to you in the last few months.

“It should have been me.” He whispered as he gently dragged his fingers up and down your spine. You shook your head.

“They would have wiped you. He told me.” His hand stopped moving on your back and you looked up at his tear filled eyes. 

“I should have fought harder for you.” You gave him a weak smile and shook your head once more.

“You fought hard enough, my love. That is what kept me fighting. Now, we fight together to end this so no one else has to go through what we did.” His blue grey eyes searched yours as he licked his lips.

“I love you, so much.” You smiled and brushed your fingers on his chest.

“I love you, too.” 

——

“Did you get ‘em?” Bucky asked as Peggy Carter walked over with a smile on her face. She nodded as she held out her hand.

“As far as the U.S. government is concerned, she is officially a Barnes.” Peggy said as she dropped your and his new identification tags in Bucky’s hand. The small group of Howling Commando’s cheered and you couldn’t help but laugh. “Would you like me to do the service?” Bucky shook his head with a smile as he looked at the metal tags in his hand with your new married name listed as his next of kin.

“Steve’s gunna do it.” He nodded as you pulled off your old ID tags. You handed them to Peggy and Bucky did the same as he handed you his new tags; temporary wedding rings. Steve came up with a proud smile and he pat Bucky on the shoulder.

“I don’t know what I'm doin' here.” Steve chuckled as you and Bucky stood in front of him. Peggy walked over and whispered in his ear. “Oh, gotcha. We are gathered here today…”

“No, just skip to the good part.” Bucky joked with a laugh as he took your hands in his. The guys laughed as Peggy whispered Steve’s lines in his ear.

“Do you, James Buchanan, take (Y/N)… I don’t know your middle name to be your wife? To have and to…” 

“I do.” Bucky interrupted, impatiently causing the guys and you to laugh.

“OK then. Do you, (Y/N)…”

“(Y/M/N)…” you interjected.

“… take Bucky to be your husband? To…”

“I do.” You said with a laugh. Peggy whispered the last lines with a smile.

“Rings.” You smiled as you straightened out the ball chain in your hand. Bucky ducked his head so you could drop the chain over his head. You moved your hair to the side so it wouldn’t get tangled and he dropped your tags over your head.  
“By the power that was vested in Agent Carter… wait, what was it?” Steve asked as he looked over at Peggy.

“We now pronounce you husband and wife!” The guys shouted and cheered as Bucky crashed his lips to yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he dipped you dramatically. The men whistled as he stood you back up with a laugh. He cupped your cheeks in his hands as he rested his forehead against yours.

“I love you, Mrs. Barnes.” He said softly as he brushed his thumbs over your cheeks.

“I love you, too, Mr. Barnes.”

~~~~~~~~ WASHINGTON D.C., PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~

You sprang into action, dropped the bike into first and sped toward the river, desperately searching for your heart. The wind whipped through your hair as your eyes scanned the water line. You pleaded with God to bring him back to you. Seventy years, despite sixty of them being frozen in a block of ice was too long to be away from your soulmate. A choked laugh bubbled up from your throat when Bucky’s head finally surfaced right next to Steve’s. 

“I knew you were in there, baby.” You whispered to yourself. You skidded your bike to a stop on the road and whipped around, looking for an exit from the river to get a head of Bucky before he could disappear again.

~~~~~~~~ Denmark, 1944 ~~~~~~~~~~

“You’re gunna be laid up for a little bit but it’s just a sprain.” You told one of the Commando’s as you wrapped his ankle in an ace bandage. The man, you thought his name was Jim, sighed as he leaned back on the cot.

“Thanks Barnes. I really appreciate it.” You smiled up at him at the sound of your new last name and nodded as you clipped the end of the ace bandage.

“Hey doc, they’re back.” You looked up at the soldier and nodded.

“Thank you, Junior.” You smiled up at Jim. “I'll be back later to check on you.” You pat his hand and quickly cleaned up your supplies. As you headed out of the barracks, you almost ran head first into Steve. He put his hand on your shoulder.

“(Y/N)…” Your heart stopped as you looked up into his sad eyes.

“No… please no…” Tears filled your eyes as you shook your head. Steve opened his mouth to say something but his words caught in his throat.

“I’m sorry.”

~~~~~~~~ Switzerland, 1945 ~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m going with you.” You said as you ran your fingers over the etchings of your dog tags. "I've been there, I can get you through the maze of the HYDRA headquarters.” Steve nodded, knowing better than to tell you no at this point. Since’s Bucky’s death, you started in on a war path. You were no longer a nurse, no longer just a woman in the army. You were a woman who was experimented on, a twisted ‘super soldier’ and a widow in your 20’s. You were going to get your vengeance on HYDRA for taking your husband from you and no one was going to stand in your way.

“What’s the best way to get in?” Steve asked as you stood around a table with the map of the Hydra base in the Alps in front of you. 

“Front door.” You said as you pointed to the spot. “Heavily guarded but you and I shouldn’t have any issues…”

“This is a stupid idea, sending a woman in…” Colonial Phillips said. You glared up at him as your hand curled into a fist.

“I’m not a woman, sir.” You spat. “I’m a soldier with a mission. And I will complete that mission whether you agree with it or not.”

~~~~~~~~ WASHINGTON D.C., PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~

You traipsed through the woods as your heart pounded in your chest. You needed to find him; needed to help him find himself. You gripped your ID tags tight in your hand as you ducked under tree branches. The sound of a tree branch breaking a little ways away from you made you whip around in your spot. His blue eyes, eyes you had looked into so many times before, searched yours. You raised your hands as you slowly turned toward him. He took a hesitant step back.

“I should know you.” He said softly. You nodded slowly as you took a slow step toward him.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Bucky.” You said softly. “I just… I just want to help you find yourself again.” You stretched out his hand and let the dog tags fall out of your palm so they dangled below your hand. Bucky’s eyes darted down to them before looking at you again. You nodded reassuringly as he took a half step forward and reached for the tags. He kept his eyes on you and you took two steps back to make him feel safe. Tears filled your eyes as he looked down at the tags. His brow furrowed as he ran his thumb over the engravings.

“You’re my wife." He said softly as he looked back up at you. You nodded as you slowly lowered your hands.

“Yea, baby. I am.” He looked back in the direction he had come and nodded his head.

“Let’s go.” You nodded as he stepped toward you and handed you back the tags. He wrapped his hand around yours and looked up at you. “Don’t let go.” You shook your head and smiled.

“Never.”


	2. Chapter 2

“What is this?” You asked Bucky in Romanian as you held up one of the plums he was looking at for lunch. He smirked as he looked over at you out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s a plum.” He responded in English. Your face deadpanned as you looked up at him.

“Really, James?” You snapped as he moved onto the apples… măr. You had been forced to learn quite a few different languages when you were with HYDRA but there were still some words you didn’t know. “I know it’s a plum, jerk.” He chuckled as be grabbed a few apples.

“Prună.” You nodded as you tossed the plum up in the air.

“Why are you so mean to me?” You teased in Romanian once more as he paid for the fruit. He shrugged as he handed you an apple.

“Because I can.” He smiled smugly as he took a bite of the plum, causing you to roll your eyes.

“I’m gunna head up to the drug store. We need a few things.” He nodded as he held up a finger while he chewed.

“Can you grab me a new notebook? I’m almost finished with the last one.” You nodded as you kissed his cheek. 

“See you at home.”

——

You were putting your purchases in your backpack as you headed back to your apartment when a giant shadow caught your attention. You looked up as a very familiar man with wings flew overhead.

“Shit.” You grumbled as you threw your backpack on your back and took off running to your apartment. You didn’t know how, but you knew you had been found. You dodged cars and people as you dashed through the streets of Bucharest to get back to your apartment; praying that this wasn’t as bad as you were expecting. It was.

“Go!” Bucky shouted at you as you rounded the corner of the apartment building. You spun on your heel and ran in the other direction; slowing just barely to let him get in front of you to lead the way. You leapt over the edge of a bridge after him and landed hard on the hood of a car. You rolled to your feet and chased after your husband as a man in a black body suit jumped down behind you.

“The hell is that?” You shouted as the pair of you ran as fast as you could; passing cars like they were standing stationary as they drove along the street.

“I don’t wanna know.” You nodded as you slid across the hood of a car that tried to switch lanes in front of you. “Here!” You glanced up as Bucky grabbed the handle of a motorcycle and ripped it out of the hands of the rider. You launched yourself into the air and landed on the seat behind him; slamming into his back as the wheels hit the ground. 

“Good.” You shouted as you wrapped your arms around his middle. As he took off, you glanced behind you at the people chasing you. Your heart lurched in your chest to see Steve and you knew this wasn’t good. 

“Lean!” He shouted as he dipped the bike to the left. You threw your body to the right to keep some semblance of balance as he dug his metal fingers into he pavement to make the sharp turn he wanted. As he got the bike upright, you heard the sound of Sam’s carbon fiber wings right above your head.

“They’re on us.” You shouted over the wind as Bucky glanced back. He quickly reached into his pocket and grabbed a grenade. He chucked it as hard as he could at an overpass and you ducked your head into his shoulder as fragments of concrete and dust rained down on your back. 

You barely had time to look back up when the bike suddenly crashed. You growled as you rolled across the pavement until you slowed down enough to jump to your feet. You were almost instantly tackled to the ground by Sam as the man in the black suit lunged at Bucky. Steve sailed over your head and knocked the man off Bucky as you launched Sam away from you. The tunnel was suddenly filled with the sound of sirens as Rhodie in his War Machine suit came out of no where.

“Stand down, now.” He said as he held up his hands; his blasters whining to full power in a second. You bit your cheek as Steve and Bucky both put their arms out protectively in front of you. You glanced around at the two dozen or so guns that were pointed at you and sighed as the cops ran over. “Congratulations, Cap. You’re a criminal.” You were forced onto your knees, thrown into cuffs and laid down on the pavement next to Bucky. You glanced over at him as someone forced their knee into your back to keep you in place while they cuffed the other three men.

“Sorry, doll.” Bucky said softly in Romanian just before the two of you were lifted off the ground and carried away by the cops.

——

“What the hell were you thinking?” Tony snapped at you. You didn’t say a word as you sat in an interrogation room in the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre in Berlin, drumming your fingers against the arm rest of the chair you had been confined in for hours. “You were harboring a fugitive…”

“I was getting my husband back.” You snapped as you continued your stare down with the man who saw you as the enemy.

“Oh, don’t give me that shit, (Y/N).” You rolled your eyes as you continued to drum your fingers.

“Are you arresting me? If not, let me go.” He shook his head as he crossed his arms across his chest.

“I can’t do that.” You bobbed your eyebrows and nodded.

“OK.” You ripped your arms up and demolished the handcuffs that kept you in the chair. Tony leapt to his feet as you jumped up onto the chair and knocked out the air vent.

“(Y/N)!” Tony shouted as you pulled yourself into the air vent at the same moment the power went out. You froze for only a second before scrambling as fast as you could away from the room. You moved until you found a clear room; a broom closet.

“There we go.” You mumbled as you lifted the air vent out. You dropped down and peaked out the door.

“Come with me.” Steve shouted as he ran past you. Your brow furrowed as you stepped out of the room and ran after him. “Bucky’s been compromised.”

“Shit.” You followed him into the room where they had been holding Bucky and you paused as you looked at the couple guards that were laying on the ground. “Something’s wrong.” You told Sam as he came to a stop behind you. He nodded as the two of you followed Steve toward a man laying on the ground. As you approached the second doorway, you heard the all too familiar to you mechanical whirl of your husband’s arm.

“Down!” You shouted as you ducked a punch. Sam didn’t get completely out of the way fast enough, giving Bucky enough time to grab him by the jaw and whip him across the room. Steve let the man he was talking to go as Bucky punched you hard in the stomach, sending you flying into a wall. A groan escaped your lips as you sank down to the floor, watching a man who was not your James attack his childhood best friend. You scrambled to your feet, wincing as your ribs began to heal themselves and chased after Bucky.

“James!” You screamed as he pushed Steve down the elevator shaft. Bucky spun around to glare at you; chest heaving. “Don’t.” You watched his brow furrow ever so slightly before he spun on his heel and stormed off. You groaned as you chased after him.

“Freeze!” Someone shouted as a few men jumped in-between you and Bucky. You instantly flew into fight mode. Guns went flying and bodies dropped in seconds as you ripped into the men, consequences be damned. When the last body fell; dead or alive, you didn’t know, you ran in the direction Bucky had gone. You saw Steve running up the stairs and you quickly followed after him. Silent prayers were sent; begging anything to bring you back your husband in one piece. 

“Hold it!” Someone shouted as they cocked a gun and held it to your head as you rounded a corner.

“Oh, come on!” You screamed as you snatched their gun and stripped it in seconds. You tossed the pieces over the rail as you kicked them through a door and continued up the stairs. You burst through the doors to the helicopter pad at the same moment Bucky grabbed Steve by the throat through the broken window of a trashed helicopter. You screamed his name as gravity took over.

In slow motion, Bucky’s dilated eyes found yours and his face softened. You sprinted toward him as the helicopter fell over the edge of the pad. Without thinking, you dove off the edge into the water below. Your stomach clenched at the harsh impact with the ice cold water and you shivered slightly. As quickly as you could, you swam toward Steve who was dragging Bucky’s unconscious body from the sinking wreckage.

“I can’t let you take him.” Steve said as the two of you surfaced with Bucky a moment later. You shook your head in disagreement.

“I can’t let them have him again. We have been in Bucharest…”

“I know.” Steve said as he looked back at the Terrorist Center. With a small shake of his head, he shoved Bucky toward you. “Go. I’ll find you.”

“Safe house, 2 hours north.” He nodded as he swam slowly toward the shore. You wrapped your arm around Bucky’s chest and swam as fast as you could toward the bridge behind you.

—— 

“What happened?” You turned around in the back bedroom of the safe house as you towel dried your hair.

“Who are you to me?” You asked as you jutted your chin toward Bucky. He squeezed his eyes closed as he slowly sat up on the bed.

“Your husband.” You nodded as you tossed the towel across the room.

“Lost you for a minute there. Thanks to the soldier for breaking my ribs.” He shook his head as he rubbed his eyes.

“(Y/N), I’m so sorry.” You shook your head as you leaned against the door frame of the bedroom.

“Wasn’t you. You and I both know I am one of the soul advocates of your split personality nowadays.” He nodded as he looked over at you and you gave him a small smile. “Besides, I self heal. No skin off my back.” He sighed as he looked around the room.

“Where are we?” He asked.

“Safe house outside of Berlin waiting for Steve.” He nodded again as he got up from the bed slowly.

“Did I kill anyone?” You shook your head.

“Not that I know of.” He sighed as he walked over to you and gently wrapped his arms around your waist.

“All he had to do was say the Goddamn words.” You sighed as you wrapped your arms around his waist and laid your head on his chest.

“So we keep moving. They can’t make you that person if they can’t find us.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“Are you sure about this?” You whispered in Romanian as Bucky dragged you onto the ferris wheel in London. He had remembered the promise he had made you a few days before and he was determined to follow through. Even if this wasn’t the Brooklyn fair.

“Doll… will you just enjoy the damn ride?” You looked up at him as he swept his arm in front of his body to usher you onto the ride. You smirked as you reached up and pulled his hat down a little farther on his face.

“You owe me cotton candy, too.” He smiled as you stood along the window in the far corner of the left side of the car. As the two of you waited for the rest of the car to fill up, you stood with your back to his chest looking out the window, his arms wrapped around you protectively and both of you keeping your eyes moving and your heads tucked. You were the two most wanted people in the world. You jumped the tiniest bit when the door closed, a little lost in your own world. Bucky chuckled as he kissed your temple.

“I told you I’d take you on a ferris wheel.” He whispered as the ferris wheel started to move. You smiled and pulled his arms around you more.

“Don’t let go.” You tried to let your worries go; to let yourself completely enjoy the moment but you couldn’t. You and Bucky had been on the run for two months and your faces were plastered everywhere. You did everything you could to hide yourselves; moving from country to country every couple weeks, staying out of bigger cities. This was just something neither of you wanted to pass up.

“We got company.” He said as the ride was coming to an end. You glanced to where he was pointing and saw Steve standing at the base looking up at you. You pulled your messenger bag around to the front of your thigh.

“You check in with him recently?” You asked as he wrapped his metal hand around a knife from the bag and tucked it into his jacket sleeve. He shook his head as you watched which direction Steve was walking; giving you a direction of where to meet him to talk. 

“Not since Serbia.” You nodded as the doors next to you opened. You kept one hand wrapped around the gun in your bag as the other pulled your ball cap down lower on your face. Bucky put his free hand on your back and quickly lead you through the crowds of people. You both kept your faces down but your eyes never stopped moving. As you made your way through the streets, the flash of a laser pointer caught your attention.

“Here.” You said as you subtly pointed to the morse code message on the ground. Bucky hesitated for a moment, before turning you both around and leading you into a building.

“Third floor.” He said as he pointed toward the stairs. You nodded as you pulled out your gun and headed up the stairs. You moved silently, expecting nothing but always preparing for the worst as the third floor came into view. You paused for a moment at the top of the stairs to let Bucky go first.

“I’m alone.” Steve said as the two of you made your way down the hallway. 

“Why are you here?” Bucky asked as he ducked the room Steve walked into. You quickly shut the door behind you and moved your back to an interior wall. 

“Haven’t heard from either of you.” Bucky nodded as he peaked out the window, always the spy.

“We’ve been on the move.” He said as he moved to stand beside you on the wall. 

“We got you two cleared.” Steve said as he took a seat across the room, took off his ball cap and brushed his hand through his short brown hair. “You can come home.”

“We don’t have a home.” Bucky said as he glanced over at you. You nodded in agreement as you joggled your gun in your hand. 

“We haven't had a home since 1941.” Steve nodded as he leaned his arms forward on his thighs.

“Well, now you do. Stark Tow…”

“Nope. Absolutely not.” You shook your head and Bucky nodded in agreement.

“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard. And we’ve come up with some pretty stupid ideas, Steve.” You glanced over at Bucky who shrugged you off.

“Guys, it is the safest…”

“Oh, don’t give me that. The two of us can never be safe.” Bucky said as he gestured between you. “She is the weakness HYDRA needs to get to me. Once they do, this is useless.” He said as he flicked his skull.

“The only thing that’s safe about going to the tower is knowing we aren’t out in the world any longer. US government thinking at its…”

“That’s not it at all.” Steve interrupted. “I want you at home with me. The three of us deserve…”

“To be caged like animals?” You asked as you leaned back against the wall.

“Tony is never going to let me be free. He’s gunna lock me up and…”

“No, Buck. I promise that isn’t going to happen.” You saw the flash of something outside the window and your heart stopped.

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” You asked as you held up your gun. Steve shook his head as you took a half step to the side and shot down the little hovercraft outside the window.

“I’m sorry.”

“Move!” Bucky shouted as he shoved you toward the door. You made it two steps before a tranquilizer dart hit you in the shoulder. You stumbled on your own feet as Bucky moved to pick you up. “I got…” He said wearily as he fell into your back. You both slid down against the wall and landed in a crumpled pile on the floor; fast asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

“James, the door is obviously not opening no matter how hard you bang on it.” You said in Portuguese as you watched your husband try to punch through the door of the bedroom the two of you had been trapped in for a week.

“Shut up.” He growled in between punches. You rolled your eyes and laid your head back down on the bed with a sigh. 

“Will you please stop trying to break my door!” Tony shouted over the intercom in your plush jail cell/ bedroom in Stark Tower.

“Let us out then!” You snapped as Bucky switched back to trying to rip the door off the wall.

“I will let you out if you quit. Trying. To break. My. Shit!” Tony barked. You glanced up at Bucky and shrugged as you propped yourself up on your elbows.

“Keep breaking it, baby. They’re gunna trap us like zoo animals, we might as well act like them.” The TV in your room turned on and Steve’s face popped up on it.

“(Y/N)…” You glared at him and shook your head.

“This is what you wanted. Us off the map and ‘safe’.” You used air quotes as Bucky walked over and looked at the TV. He growled as he pointed at the screen.

“You wanted the threat removed. Might as well figure out how to kill a super soldier and the Winter Soldier because we are NOT willingly here and we will find a way out. And once the ‘threat’ is out, we’re coming after you for this.” He snapped at his friend. 

“Buck, come on. We are just…”

“You aren’t just doing shit, Steve.” You said as you laid back down on the bed, beyond annoyed. “You and the billionaire fuck boy are just scared Bucky’s gunna get turned again. We’re no threat to you. He was doing just fine with me on his six out in the world.” You heard the TV switch to static before clicking off in general. Bucky roared and slammed his metal fist through the TV before flopping down on the bed next to you. 

“The hell are we gunna do?” He growled in Portuguese, your language of choice nowadays. You shook your head as you rolled into his side.

“I have no freaking idea.”

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“I still need to get you a ring.” You laughed as Bucky looked at your naked left hand.

“It’s only been, what seventy years of marriage?” His brow furrowed as he scooted to the side behind you and looked at you.

“I hate to ask this but, when did we get married?” You smiled up at him.

“Tell me what you remember and I’ll fill in.” He nodded, agreeing to your game once again. You didn’t want to ever bombard him with memories, never wanting to overwhelm him all at once. So he had typically taken to bringing up a memory and letting you fill in the rest.

“Steve did it… Quite poorly.” Bucky chuckled as you settled back on his chest. You nodded as he played with your fingers some more. “And we were in… wait, Denmark?” You nodded in confirmation as he shook his head to joggle more information forward. “You were wearing an olive green shirt that was really big on you.” Your head whipped back to him and you laughed.

“How do you remember that but not the date?” You teased. He shrugged as you bopped his nose. “Yes, that was actually your shirt because Dum Dum spilled his coffee on mine. We got married April 26th, 1944.”

“Seventy-two, almost seventy-three years of marriage.”

“You know, we are gunna be winners with a date like that. It’s the….” You stumbled on the word in Portuguese and spun your hand in front of you for a second. “The Guinness book…” He nodded in understanding.

“Registro. Record.” You nodded as a click sounded by the door signaling meal time. You settled back against his lap, not quite hungry yet when instead of just the bottom portion opening; a slot no bigger than allowing two dinner trays to pass through like an actual jail cell, the whole door moved. Neither of you moved as you looked at the actual bedroom door for the first time in well over a month.

“It’s a trap.” You said in German. When you wanted to have private conversations, the two of you switched languages and tenses in whispered words, knowing full well that you were constantly being watched.

“You think?” He asked in Japanese; one of the languages he knew that you were still learning. You nodded as he sat forward so his mouth was hidden in your hair and you pulled his hands up to your lips.

“We’ve been trapped in this room for a month by the playboy.” You whispered, every other word in Italian and Romanian as you ran Bucky’s metal fingers across your lip to distort anything decipherable. “The only reason they are opening that door is to open up our jail cell to a little more square footage…”

“Is that a bad thing? This room is…” You nodded as you gently bit his finger to interrupt. 

“Think about who we have to deal with if we go out there.” He tapped your side in acknowledgement as he leaned back against the headboard. 

“I’m gunna get you a ring.” He said once again in Portuguese as he went back to playing with your fingers. You leaned back against him, both of your eyes on the door as you waited for what was next.

——

You realized quickly with the door opening, you were no longer getting meals delivered. Stark and Steve were purposely trying to flush you out of your room. Being used to living on the run, the two of you went two whole days without coming out of your room to get food. By day three, Steve couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Guys, can I come in? I come in peace.” Steve called out. You could smell the bacon and eggs through the door and Bucky’s stomach growled next to you. You glanced over at him out of the corner of your eye, letting him make the choice.

“Fine.” He called out once Steve knocked again. He opened the door and carried a large tray into the room with a literal small white flag in a large stack of pancakes. Almost as if he knew neither of you would get up when he was in the room, he set the tray on the end of the bed and pushed it toward the both of you.

“What do you want, Steve?” Bucky asked as you reached for a grape from the small bowl of fruit, unable to control your hunger with the small buffet in front of you. Your friend took a step over to the door and leaned against the wall. 

“We found a way to wipe out the brainwashing.” You both kept your eyes on the tray of food but you and Bucky both passed your hands over each other under the ruse that you were grabbing something from the far side of the tray. A subtle way of grabbing each other's hands. When neither of you said anything, Steve sigh and continued, realizing it was going to be a one sided conversation. “We have to go to Wakanda to do it. T’Challa said they have the capabilities and they are more than willing to help out.” You glanced over at Bucky out of the corner of your eye as he took a hold of your hand. You felt him write the word ‘panther’ on your palm and you tapped his hand once to tell him ‘yes.’

“No.” Bucky said as he tossed the flag onto the floor, rolled up a pancake and bit it in half.

“Buck, I promise you, he wants to help. That’s all we all want.” You glanced up at him through your lashes as you speared some scrambled eggs on a fork and took a bite. “I just want my friends back, pal. That’s all this is.”

“So friends typically lock their friends in jail cells?” You mumbled in Russian, knowing Steve wouldn’t understand. You glanced over at Bucky as you grabbed a piece of bacon. “Sounds kinky, right?” You watched the corner of his mouth twitch under his long hair as he grabbed some eggs.

“We aren’t trying to lock you in a jail cell.” Natasha said in Russian as she strolled into the room. Steve instantly put his arm out and stopped her in the doorway as you went back to eating your breakfast. “We wanted to keep you safe where you weren't having to look over your shoulder and live in fear everyday.”

“But that wasn’t your choice to make.” You said as you looked up at her; completely ignoring Steve’s look of confusion. “That’s our choice. Husband and wife. If we choose to live in trashy apartments and move around every other week, that’s our choice. It’s not yours to make for us.” She took a deep breath and glanced over at Bucky before looking back at you.

“Unfortunately, it is. You see…”

“Get out.” You said in English as you pointed toward the door. You knew exactly where she was going with her rant; you had heard it before from the two people in front of you. “He is a person, not some mindless killing machine. How am I the only person who still sees that?”

“As long as those words will trigger him, he is a threat to everyone.” Tony’s voice called out over the intercom.

“And at this point, if you don’t let us out of this Goddamn tower and let us go, I’ll be the one letting the Winter Soldier out. How about that? Now, get. Out.” 

“Let us clear him and then you can go!” Steve pleaded as Natasha stormed out of the room. “Please, I am begging you. I have to do this.” You grabbed the bowl of fruit and headed into your ensuite bathroom, slamming the door behind you so hard it splintered. With a heavy sigh, you sat down on the floor by the door and listened to Bucky and Steve talking in the other room. You knew you were going to Wakanda; knew even if Bucky said no, you wouldn’t let him live in fear of when the next lapse would be. You just hated the way the Avengers went about doing this. After a few minutes you heard the bedroom door close a few seconds before the bathroom door opened.

“So when do we leave?” You asked as you held up the fruit bowl to him. He grabbed an apple slice and leaned against the door frame.

“Hour. You OK with that?” You slowly looked up at him and shook your head.

“James, I would never not tell you to fix this. If they had come to us in London with this same information and told us we could go right after, I would have signed up for that immediately. I’m pissed that they are locking you up like an animal.”

“Yea, you and me both but there isn’t much we can do about it, doll. I am an animal.” You scrambled to your feet and tossed the bowl of fruit onto the counter. You grabbed his face in your palms and shook your head.

“Don’t you dare. You are not an animal, Bucky. So, there is a little bit of misfiring up here once in a blue moon. That isn’t your fault. It’s about as much your fault to turn into the Winter Soldier as it is mine for killing those people in the castle of hell.” He sighed as you brushed your thumbs across his cheeks. He put his hands on your hips and pulled you to his chest. 

“I love you, so much.” You smirked as you moved his hair back behind his ears.

“I know you do. I’m pretty freaking awesome.” He rolled his eyes as he walked you back toward the shower with a small smirk on his face.

“You know what, I think I want a divorce. You’re a pain.” You smiled as you pulled him down for a chaste kiss before the two of you got in the shower to get ready for the trip to Wakanda.


End file.
